Financial Accountant in Northwich

Tata Chemicals Europe (TCE) is one of Europe's leading suppliers of sodium carbonate, salt and sodium bicarbonate and other products, from our plants in Cheshire, UK. We have a vacancy for a Finance Manager in our business and this opportunity presents a varied, challenging and full workload associated with a £150m turnover business which is part of an international quoted group. With two bank groups, four distinct Business Units and multiple UK legal entities to manage, the team is always busy. TCE serves more than 500 customers worldwide and has hundreds of active suppliers, so there is a constant focus on enhanced governance, systems development and reporting excellence.

Job purpose: To coordinate the provision of financial accounting services to the UK business, with responsibility for period-end reporting, statutory accounting, direct and indirect tax, treasury and hedging processes and other activities where responsibility for delivery is retained in the UK. Most transactional and routine processing activities will be delivered through the Global Capability Centre (GCC), but the job holder will be ultimately accountable for the output from the combined finance team.

Principal Accountabilities

• Statutory accounting: Co-ordinate the preparation of UK statutory accounts and similar data required for the Tata Chemicals Limited group accounts, ensuring compliance with accounting standards and group policies.
• Direct and Indirect Taxation: Monitor and co-ordinate the annual corporation tax return process, ensuring a clear split of responsibilities between the local UK team, GCC and other India-based tax specialists and external tax consultants. Monitor and co-ordinate the monthly UK and EU VAT return processes, ensuring a clear split of responsibilities between the local UK team, GCC and external tax consultants. Prepare and maintain the local tax risk matrix, including regular reviews with stakeholders in the UK and GCC to ensure that any emerging issues are identified on a timely basis.
• Treasury: Manage the local UK bank payment process, providing oversight of the associated transactional activity at the GCC. Manage all aspects of the local UK processes for Receivables Financing and Reverse Forfaiting. Co-ordinate the short to medium term cash forecasting process, highlighting the utilisation of bank facilities and providing advance notice of any liquidity issues. Provide “Middle Office” services in respect of gas and FX hedging, ensuring full understanding of potential business exposure and compliance with group hedging policies.
• General ledger and period-end close: Monitor and co-ordinate the month end close activities performed by colleagues at the GCC. Provide local expertise on complex or judgement-based matters for colleagues at the GCC and external auditors and ensure that results are fully owned by the relevant UK stakeholders. Manage all aspects of Biodiversity Net Gain and UKETS accounting and reporting.
• Continuous improvement: Drive the continuous improvement of finance processes, working with the GCC and local stakeholders to enhance the efficiency, standardisation, and control of processes.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Our ideal candidate will be: A fully qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent), with at least 5 years’ post-qualification experience, preferably in industry. Have good working knowledge of UK Corporation Tax and UK/EU VAT. Have experience of drafting UK statutory accounts and good working knowledge of IFRS. The role will require extensive interaction with GCC team members so the ability to influence the performance of remotely-based service providers, working in a different time zone, will be key. Confidence in engaging with multiple stakeholders at local level, including heads of department, directors and auditors.

What can you expect in return? Our people have always been at the centre of the company’s success and in return for their hard work and commitment, we offer a generous benefits package including: 37 days holidays per year, inclusive of Bank Holidays, an additional paid day off each year to volunteer for a good cause in the local community, an excellent contributory Pension scheme, Life insurance, Healthcare and a range of other optional benefit schemes. Additionally we are happy to discuss the option of flexible start and finish times on a Monday to Friday basis for the right candidate. Hybrid working of up to 40% of weekly working hours is also available after a settling in period of 3 months full time in the office, supporting relationship building and process understanding.